The Coonridge Digest

I always favored Batman over Superman. The guy in blue tights with a big “S” on his chest seemed to cheat a bit having super powers at his disposal, whereas Batman didn’t have the advantage of X-ray vision, super-human strength and the ability to fly. The hero with the bat ears had to rely only upon his wits, a pretty cool car, and a good butler.

As I grew older, my choice in heroes centered more on their moral qualities and integrity than their ability to leap tall buildings in a single bound. The ability to make the world a better place became more important than being faster than a speeding bullet, but the interesting thing is that no matter my age, I still needed heroes.

Schools will be back in session all over the nation this week as millions of youngsters answer the age-old call of the opening bell. Mamas have been preparing backpacks for weeks and the books or iPads have been stacked and waiting for the arrival of the first school buses. Lists have been checked and rechecked as parents and kids have carefully gone over everything they’ll need for another year of learning. I hope they’ve not overlooked one very important item: a sack full of heroes.

Any teacher or parent who’s spent any time at all around kids knows that we can talk and talk until our teeth fall out, but unless children have a good role model to follow, the words of advice become empty. Political leaders are obviously not the answer to the hero search, and the world of entertainment leaves few good choices for lifestyles to follow. Justin Bieber may be a good singer, but do you really want him in your backseat traveling to the next soccer game? Some might make the argument that heroes are in short supply as the lure of fame and fortune continues to turn some professional athletes and media stars into less-than-stellar personalities. But a few still exist …

When Michael Phelps jumps out of the Olympic swimming pool slowed down only by the chain of gold medals around his neck then humbly thanks his parents and coach while congratulating his fellow competitors, I’m reminded that heroes still walk among us. When perky little Simone Biles propels her 19-year-old body into the floor routines and comes up fistful of gold, I know that heroes still exist. Adopted by her grandparents as a baby, the little gal from Spring, Texas, had the whole world jumping and flipping with her. The only thing larger than her athletic ability was her humility in winning and her graciousness to all other competitors. She knew that millions of young Simone’s were watching and that she had a responsibility not only to represent her country, but the human race. She took the role of hero seriously.

When little Suzie and young Jason enter school this week they’ll need more than teachers and textbooks, they’ll need someone to look up to and every school has such role models. There will be that senior boy who instead of taunting his younger peers will take the time to stop and talk, making each youngster feel a foot taller. There will be older girls in that school who know what it’s like to be young and female and confused, and who will teach greater lessons than Algebra by simply being themselves. There will be 250-pound football players who will unashamedly hug their mothers after the games, and prom queens who will stop and visit their grandmother in the retirement center before the big dance. The heroes are still there.

A friend of mine had two little girls in the beginning years of elementary school, and at the beginning of each school year she would invite a couple of the school’s finest high school role models over for dinner. In her words, “I just want my girls to be around that kind of kid.” Some years she’d take the crew out for a round of putt-putt golf or to a movie. The high school heroes were flattered and pleased and my friend’s daughters were given a gift that could not be found in their social studies and science classes.

Heroes … we still need them and they’re still out there. I hope that along with the calculators and notebooks your child will fill his or her backpack with a few of these this year.

You ever in Coonridge, stop by. We may not answer the door but you’ll enjoy the trip.

By Freida Marie Crump

Freida Marie Crump chronicles the comings and goings in Coonridge for the Journal-Courier.